Powder coating is applied as a dry powder and is used to treat steel, aluminum, and galvanized products designed for both interior and exterior architectural applications, automotive components, school furniture, office partitions, and literally thousands of other items. Most readers aren’t aware of how involved the powder coating process is, though. Read on to start learning about what the process entails below.

Pre-Treatment Steps

Metal must be pre-treated to remove dirt, oil, grease, mill-scale, and oxidization prior to being powder coated. This can be accomplished via immersion in zinc phosphate, chromate, or manganese phosphate depending on what type of metal is being treated.

Powder Coating

The powder coating process itself can be performed manually or using automatic reciprocators. Automated systems are perfect for coating large quantities of components quickly and efficiently, while smaller production runs are usually coated manually. The majority of powders are polyester-based and offer excellent exterior durability and color retention.

The Curing Process

There are several ways that powder coated items can be cured once the coating itself has been applied. These include the use of radiant heat ovens, camelback ovens, and box ovens. Which of these pieces of specialized equipment is used will depend largely on the size of the items being cured, their temperature requirements, and how long the materials must be cured.

Packaging and Delivery Services

Once an item has been pre-treated, powder coated, and cured, it will be ready for shipping. It’s important to work with a powder coating company that prioritizes safe packaging and delivery of their goods and quick delivery of the products once the coating process has been completed. This makes it as simple as possible for customers to get the goods they need to have delivered to where the items will be used without worrying about whether they’ll arrive in perfect shape.

Learn More Today

Need to have a metal product powder coated for exterior or interior use in the Kent area and not sure how to get started? Learn more about one company that has been serving South East Kent for 30 years by browsing their website or request a quote today to begin the process.